and increased the number of tables, chairs, glasses, and other things we’ll need.” John smiled as she leaned toward her keyboard. “If you’re about to update the wedding plan, you don’t need to. I did that as well.”
Shelley sat back in her chair. “You’re intelligent, creative, and organized. I’m definitely marrying the right man.”
“I also give great back and foot massages and can make a good lasagna.”
“That must make you an all-around perfect kind of guy.”
“A perfect guy who would like to spend the evening with his fiancée. Are you busy tonight?”
“The only thing I want to do is check on where Patrick and his team are up to on my house remodeling. Maybe we could go there together after work?”
“How does five-thirty sound?”
Shelley smiled “Perfect.”
They both turned when someone knocked on the door.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Mabel said. “But Iris Donaldson and her children are here to see you, John. They’ve brought some thank you cards for their Secret Santa. And Shelley, Edna Winthrop is here to talk about her estate.”
John picked up his coffee and took a piece of fudge out of the bag. “I’ll talk to the Donaldsons.”
Shelley’s eyes widened. “That was a slick move, John McDonald. You wouldn’t be hiding from Mrs. Winthrop, would you?”
The grin on his face made her toes curl.
“Who me? I’ll see you at five-thirty.”
Mabel chuckled as John left Shelley’s office with his coffee and fudge. “It’s just as well Edna’s seeing you and not John. She loves to chat. Shall I send her in?”
Shelley closed her laptop. “Could you do me a favor?” she whispered.
Mabel stepped closer. “Do you want me to come back in fifteen minutes?”
“How did you know?”
“John does the same thing. It’s a nice way of moving things along.”
Shelley straightened her jacket. “It would only be a little white lie. I have another appointment in half an hour.”
“Say no more,” Mabel said with a gleam in her eyes. “I’ll be the soul of discretion.” And, with a determined spring in her step, she left the office.
Before Edna arrived, Shelley searched for her file on the computer. As long as no one else called in unexpectedly, she’d be able to finish the work she had to do this afternoon. If not, John might be doing more than looking at her remodeled houses.
Sorting through a client’s receipts might not seem like a great way to spend the night with the person you loved but, if it got her work done, it was worth more than champagne and roses.
John looked along the exterior walls of one of Shelley’s houses as she opened the front door. “I’m surprised Caleb hasn’t installed any security cameras.”
“He’s doing that on Saturday while I’m in Bozeman with Bailey and Sam,” Shelley said with a smile. “It was the first thing he wanted me to do after I bought the cottages.”
That didn’t surprise John. Caleb’s job was to keep businesses and people safe. Just one look at the two empty houses would have made red flags flash in front of his eyes. “I’ll let him know I can give him a hand if he needs it.”
“He’ll probably need someone to take his mind off Sam not being in Sapphire Bay.” With a gentle push, Shelley opened the door.
John turned on the lights and took a moment to absorb the changes. “This looks like a different house.”
The smile on Shelley’s face was pure joy. “It does, doesn’t it?”
In the last few days, Patrick and his team had removed the timber frames between the kitchen, dining room, and living room. The rest of the existing drywall had been removed and most of it had been replaced.
John pointed to three large squares of paint on the far wall. “Are they the colors you’re thinking of painting the walls?”
Shelley nodded. “I like the soft off-white shade in the middle. It gives just enough color to the open-plan living area without it feeling like a barn.”
He stepped closer to the wall. “I agree. And you could put any furniture or art with that color and it would look great.”
Shelley wandered into the hallway.
John knew exactly where she was going. Apart from the kitchen, the next biggest chunk of her budget was being spent in the bathroom.
Her gaze dropped to the floor. “They’ve fixed the hole.”
At first, he didn’t understand why she seemed so worried. But then he remembered the stray kittens and their missing mother. “I’m sure she’s found somewhere safe to hide.”
“It’s freezing outside. I don’t know where she would have